Stabilizing spring package for railway car trucks



Aug. 24, 1954 H. E. TUCKER STABILIZING SPRING PACKAGE FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 24, 1951 3 k Km 7 I v 20 4/ m 4 r f w 6 G llL 1| INVENTOR. 740% Aug. 24, 1954 H. E. TUCKER 2,537,296

STABILIZING SPRING PACKAGE FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed Nov. 24, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 h &

INVENTOR.

BY mmwyfi/ wmm Aug. 24, 1954 H. E. TUCKER STABILIZING SPRING PACKAGE FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed Nov. 24 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q w a. 3

Aug. 24, 1954 H. E. TUCKER 2,687,296

STAB ILIZING SPRING PACKAGE FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed Nov. 24, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1 l 'iiiii' ill INVENTOR.

vmamm/ Patented Aug. 24, 1954 STABILIZING SPRING PACKAGE FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Herbert E. Tucker, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cardwell Westinghouse Company, acorporation of Delaware Application November 24, 1951, Serial No. 258,011

6 Claims. 1

This application relates to stabilizing railway car trucks, which includes damping spring vibrations or harmonics due to irregularities in the track and resisting the tendency of the bolster and the side frames to get out of normal position on curves in the track.

Heretofore, these results have been sought by many expedients, including a spring set between the spring plate and the spring cap equipped with opposite friction devices rigidly connected with the spring plate and spring cap, but the necessary relative movement between the side frames and the bolster has placed destructive strains on the rigidly connected parts.

The principal object of this invention is to provide flexibility that will allow the necessary relative movement without destructive strains.

Generally speaking, this is accomplished by providing friction bearing elements having appropriate freedom of movement relative to the associated spring seat and spring cap.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a railway car truck equipped with a spring package embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the spring package, parts being broken away on the left side;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a spring package embodying the invention, parts at the left side being broken away to reveal the interior;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the middle of the spring package with the parts in the position they assume after being inserted in the bolster opening and compressed by the weight of the bolster;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the spring package with the parts closed to the limit of compression; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the spring cap and the associated friction elements for stabilizing the truck.

These specific drawings and the corresponding description are used for the purpose of disclosure only, and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

In Fig. 1, there is a side frame of a truck including a compression member It, a tension member H, and columns I2, together definin a bolster window opening l3 to receive an end portion H! of a truck bolster adapted to be supported on a set of helical springs associated with the parts embodying this invention.

In Figs. 4-7, the numeral It indicates the upper spring plate or spring cap, and l! indicates the lower spring plate or spring seat, both having flanges l8 cooperating with a set of springs 85 of familiar form, such as the A. A. R. standard recommended practice.

In order to stabilize a truck equipped with such springs, the invention provides a spring package shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 adapted to replace the conventional spring set consisting of a selection of springs and spring plates, or spring cap and seat, holding them in assembly.

As here shown, the upper spring plate I6 is in effect provided with a downward tubular projection 28 having angular side portions 2! presenting friction surfaces or plates 22 at opposite sides of the assembly between adjacent springs (see Fig. 2).

The bottom spring plate or seat is in effect provided with spaced projections 23, somewhat boxlike in form, having pockets 24 spaced apart, and, when brought into the relation shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5, and 6, straddling the projection 20 and having the pockets 24 opening toward the adjacent friction surfaces 22.

Friction by rubbing against those surfaces 22 is provided by elements shown separately at the right in Fig. 7 and assembled in the pockets 24 in Figs. 5 and 6. The outermost of those elements, considering their position in the pockets, is a friction shoe generally indicated by 25, presenting a friction surface 26 for cooperation with the corresponding friction surface 22 on the projection 20, and having a lower end portion 21 to rest against the bottom wall 23 of the receiving pocket 26. On the back or inner side of the friction shoe 25 is a wedge surface 3E1 adapted to cooperate with the corresponding wedge surface 3! on the inner wedge element, generally indicated by 32, which has an upper end portion 33 to bear on the upper wall 34 of the corresponding pocket 24. V

The friction shoe 25 and the inner wedge element 32, when brought to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, compress a rubber spring element 35 in the corresponding pocket 24 against the rear wall 36 thereof.

It will be apparent that the spring elements 35, acting against the inner wedge elements 32, will urge them toward the friction shoes 25, and in turn force the friction shoes against the friction surfaces 22 on the projection 20. There will also be an inter action due to the wedge surfaces it and 3! that forces the ends 21 and 33 against the walls 28 and 34 of the corresponding pocket 22!.

It will thus be seen that the clearance between the friction shoe and the inner wedge element, on the one hand. and the walls of the pocket on the other is immediately taken up, and the friction shoes are held firmly against vertical movement in the pockets. Hence, any relative vertical movement between the spring plates l6 and I1 due to the compression or expansion of the springs i5 will be resisted by friction between the shoes 25 and the surfaces 22. In addition, it will be clear that there is no possibility of destructive hammering action of the friction shoes 25 in the pockets 24, they being held firmly seated.

As heretofore made and disclosed in my application Ser. No. 125,283, November 3, 1949, the projections 20 and 23 were made integral with the respective spring plates i6 and I1; and, in use, the necessary relative movement between the ends of the bolster and the side frames put destructive strains on the rigidly connected parts. Similar conditions obtain in other devices made and used for stabilizing trucks.

According to the present invention, the downward tubular projection 29 has its upper end 55 loosely fitted within a centrally located opening 56 in the spring cap it, with approximately 1 g clearance all around; and there are shoulders 31 beneath the spring cap at opposite sides of the opening 55.

The projections 23 are in one piece with a boxlike frame 38, having an end portion 39 received in a centrally located opening 49 in the spring seat ll, also with approximately 5 clearance all around; and there are shoulders ll adapted to rest on the spring seat at opposite sides of the opening an.

The spring cap it has perforated depressions 42, and the spring seat H has perforated upward projections 63 adapted to receive assembly bolts 44 equipped with lead washers 45 to hold the spring package in proper asembled condition during shipping, storage, and handling.

The shoulders Sland 4| are so placed as to permit the end portions 55 and 39 to project approximately 1 .5 beyond the respective spring cap and spring seat, as shown in Fig. 4.

When the spring package has been inserted in the window opening and assembled with the bolster, etc., the load compresses the springs and brings the parts into positions substantially as shown in Fig. 5, in which the proper end portions 55 and 39 are flush with the surfaces of the spring cap and spring seat l6 and H respectively.

During the operation of the spring package, as the car travels along the track, compression and expansion of the springs will be resisted by friction between the shoes and the surfaces 22 to an extent sufficient to prevent destructive bouncing, and to add somewhat to the load carrying capacity of the spring package. However, the springs shown in Figs. 5 and 6 will insure prompt release of the friction elements, and leave the spring seat lively to the end that the wheels can always readily follow the rails with as little variation as possible in the wheel pressure on the railsfor, after passing over a track irregularity, they must quickly return to their normal position so as not to be in an unfavorable condition when the next irregularity is reached.

The flexible connection between the projections 29 and 23 of the stabilizing parts allows all the necessary relative movement without placing any destructive strains on those parts or the spring plates.

I claim:

1. A spring package for railway car trucks comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, coil springs interposed between the four corners of said plates, a centrally positioned friction device also between said plates, said friction device including an upper member and a lower member capable of 9 relative vertical movement therebetween, resilient means urging said members apart, said top plate having a central aperture receiving the top portion of the upper member of the friction device with substantial clearance about the periphery of said upper member to permit limited relative movement therebetween, a laterally projecting shoulder on the upper member upon which a marginal wall of said aperture is adapted to rest, and spaced bolts between said top and bottom plates for holding said package in assembled relation.

2. A spring package for railway car trucks comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, coil springs interposed between the four corners of said plates, a centrally positioned friction device also between said plates, said friction device including an upper member and a lower member capable of relative vertical movement therebetween, resilient means urging said members apart, said bottom plate having a central aperture receiving the lower portion of the lower member of the friction device with substantial clearance about the periphery of said lower memher to permit limited relative movement therebetween, a laterally projecting shoulder on the lower member against which a marginal wall of said aperture is adapted to rest, and spaced bolts between said top and bottom plates for holding said package in assembled relation.

3. A spring package for railway car trucks comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, coil springs interposed between the four corners of said plates, a centrally positioned friction device also between said plates, said friction device including an upper member and a lower member capable of relative vertical movement therebetween, resilient means urging said members apart, said top and bottom plates each having a central aperture receiving the top and bottom portions respectively of said friction device with substantial clearance about the periphery of said device to ermit limited relative movement therebetween, a laterally projecting shoulder on both the upper member and the lower member against which a marginal wall of said top and bottom plate apertures are adapted to bear respectively. and spaced bolts between said top and bottom plates for holding said package in assembled relation.

4. A spring package as set forth in claim 1 in which the top wall of the friction device extends slightly above the upper surface of the top plate when the top plate is seated upon said shoulder, whereby when the spring package is mounted in the car truck, said shoulder rides clear of said top plate.

5. A spring package as set forth in claim 3 in which the top and bottom portions of the friction device extend slightly above and below the top and bottom surfaces of the top and bottom plates respectively when said plates are seated on said shoulders, whereby when the package is applied to a car truck, said shoulders ride clear of said plates.

6. A spring package as set forth in claim 1 in which said friction device includes cooperating wedge surfaces carried by said upper and lower members and resilient means urging said wedge surfaces into frictional engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,118,006 Couch May 17, 1938 2,130,674 Oelkers et al Sept. 20, 1938 2,357,264 Light Aug. 29, 1944 2,367,510 Light Jan. 16, 1945 2,417,545 Dath Mar. 18, 1947 2,444,337 Cottrell June 29, 1948 2,472,035 Williams May 31, 1949 2,561,308 Cottrell July 17, 1951 

